In wireless communications networks, a large number of mobile terminating Short Message Service (MT-SMS) messages are received by Mobile Switching Centers/Visiting Location Registers (MSCsNVLRs) from SMS Centers. MT-SMS messages may originate from voice mail notifications for mobile subscribers, email messages sent over the Internet for mobile subscribers, and text messages sent to mobile subscribers from other mobile terminals. When the MSC receives a MT-SMS message, the MSC pages the designated mobile terminal. If the designated mobile terminal does not respond immediately and the MSC is provisioned to retry pages, then the MSC repages the designated mobile terminal for each SMS message. Disadvantageously, the MSC continues to receive SMS messages until a successful response is received from the designated mobile terminal.
Illustratively, in some voice mail systems, a text message may be sent to a mobile terminal as a notification of voice mail message. The voice mail system may send the notification to a SMS Center. The SMS Center sends a SMS message to a MSC to alert the user of a mobile terminal of a waiting message regularly in an increasing interval until a successful response is received from the mobile terminal. Initially, the quantity of these messages is numerous, e.g., every minute for 5 times, then every two minutes for five times, then every three minutes for five times, and after 5 minutes the interval may decrease to one time every five minutes, etc. Eventually, the quantity of SMS pages decreases, e.g., one time per hour. As more voice calls are saved in voice mail, more page attempts may be made to notify users of messages waiting. When there is more than one SMS Center sending MT-SMS messages to MSCs, e.g., voice mail notifications and/or email messages from the Internet and/or text messages from other mobile terminals, for the same subscriber at the same time, then the quantity of pages becomes exorbitant.
Disadvantageously, the MSCNVLR is not always aware when the mobile terminal becomes reachable, e.g. after going into a tunnel, unless the mobile terminal initiates some activity. Consequently, many SMS Centers continue to page the mobile terminal by re-transmitting MT-SMS messages regularly, which may become exorbitant especially when more than one SMS Center is involved. Also disadvantageously, mobile subscribers may not be aware that they are missing messages.